# Dad's 'Saturday injections'

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-father-fake-injections-football
- Themes: family, father, kindness, presence
- Life situations: busy working parent, missing your child’s events, work-life balance, remembering a parent

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

At 10 or 11, Ajahn Brahm makes the primary-school football team, but his father must work Saturday mornings. After kick-off he turns and sees his father cheering on the touchline: he had told his boss the doctor ordered a series of Saturday-morning injections — risking his job to watch his son.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

that's when I was about 11 years 10 or 11 years of age You know my primary school. I managed to get on the school football team and I was so proud of getting on the school football team playing on a Saturday morning, and when I told my dad I'm on the school football team. He said you are wonderful when you're playing Saturday mornings Is it aha I have to work on a Saturday morning, and if it it eleven-year-olds? You're so crestfallen when he got on The school's he was only at school football team primary school But you felt me something and yet dad couldn't come to see you. Oh, that was so disappointing, but he had work to do So you can imagine my delight? When you had already started playing the soccer game the kickoff had already happened, and I turned around and there was my father He was on the touchline cheering me on oh that meant so much to me And then I asked him after the game said how come you managed to come here? I thought you had to work And he said yes, I did have to work But I know he was always very sick, so I told my boss The doctor had asked me to have a series of injections every Saturday morning He lied he wasn't a very honest man, but he was so kind and I'll give him that You know he was putting his job at risk to see his son play football and That meant so much to me

## Teaching point

Time and presence with family matter more than achievement; kindness was the education he received.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

His father had to work on Saturdays, so he invented a course of doctor's injections and turned up on the touchline. Not strictly honest, as Ajahn Brahm admits, but deeply kind, and it stayed with him all his life. Grades and promotions fade; the times someone showed up for you don't. Think of someone you could show up for this week.

## Source

- [Stress - Overreaction to Life | Ajahn Brahm | 9 March 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEpeaWywKi4) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 5:30 to 7:13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEpeaWywKi4&t=330s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Maha Mangala Sutta - The Greatest Good Fortune | Ajahn Brahm | 9 May 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uak3l5Uuo9g) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 54:47 to 55:47: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uak3l5Uuo9g&t=3287s
- [Ajahn Brahm's Personal Experience of Grief | Ajahn Brahm | 22 May 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4qA0xho_oM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 2:05 to 4:03: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4qA0xho_oM&t=125s
- [Stres-reaksi berlebihan dalam hidup | Ajahn Brahm | 9 March 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C30q01E1Ob4) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 5:33 to 7:06: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C30q01E1Ob4&t=333s
- [Meditation and Youth | Ajahn Brahm | 20 March 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPJAYGm_jwY) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 16:18 to 17:58: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPJAYGm_jwY&t=978s